“She’s quite popular in her own right,” says Earnhardt, who hired Patrick to drive for his JR Motorsports Nationwide Series team from 2010-2012. “Danica is a great example of popularity and recognition.”

Patrick, the former IndyCar star who moved to NASCAR full time in 2012, will run her first full Sprint Cup Series schedule for Stewart-Haas Racing next year.

She already has become one of NASCAR’s most popular stars. With more than 670,000 Twitter followers, she has attracted a big following, especially among kids and female fans, and is one of the top souvenir sellers in NASCAR. She recently was named the most popular driver in the Nationwide Series.

Patrick was a bit surprised by the award, but also proud of it, especially winning it in her first full season.

"If it would have gone to somebody else, there would have definitely been an element of thought that I need to spend more time here (to be accepted), I need to be here longer and I need to prove to them that this is what I care about," Patrick said. "I care about (racing in NASCAR) tremendously.”

Patrick has no preconceived notions, however, of being a longtime winner of such awards.

“There are a lot of people in NASCAR that have a lot of fan favorites, and I'm new and so I don't in any way think that this one is a given,” she said.

Earnhardt says he sees Patrick as a real threat when she moves to Sprint Cup full-time next season, but he believes other driver could unseat him as well.

“I look at the other drivers in the sport, too. I look at guys like Tony Stewart and even Brad (Keselowski) coming along and making a name for himself,” Earnhardt said.

“You never know who might walk through the door tomorrow that could turn the sport upside down and really ignite the fan base and really connect to the fan base. You just never know when that person is going to walk through the door. It could happen tomorrow.”

Earnhardt takes great pride in being the sport’s most popular driver and is gracious toward his enormous fan base. But he says it’s not something he campaigns for or openly strives for each season.

“I don’t get competitive about it,” he said. “I think it’s an honor and a real privilege to accept it. To whoever wins the award going forward for many years ahead of us, it’s exciting for whoever gets to be a part of that.

“If I’m fortunate enough to continue to win another year, that would be a great feeling.”